Syrian fighter jets approach Israeli border
As part of the internal fighting going on in Syria, Russian Sukhoi and MIG fighter jets have been detected flying very close to the border with Israel; IDF shots down a Syrian fighter jet entering Israeli airspace from the Golan Heights border; coordinates with Russia not to strike Russian warplanes which back Assad's regime.
An AFP photographer saw what seemed to be Russian Sukhoi and MIG fighter jets flying near Israel's border.
Furthermore, the AFP photographer who was reporting from Kibbutz Ein Zivan in the Israeli Golan Heights captured a L-39 Albatros high-performance jet trainer with trails of smoke seen in the background blaring through the Syrian Golan Heights' sky.
Some 2,000 rockets were launched as part of the internal fighting in Syria, with two of them landing in the Kinneret accompanied by explosions. Neither casualties nor damage were reported.
Hundreds of Syrian jets were detected over the last five years while suspiciously approaching the border and frequently triggering Israeli fighter jets to be sent to the area.
In recent weeks, the Syrian army has bolstered its planes near the border as part of Assad's efforts to recapture areas in southwest Syria held by rebel groups.
Moreover, drones gathering intelligence nearing the border with some of them penetrating Israel were spotted and consequently shot down by Israel. Assad's fighter jets dropping explosive barrels in the Syrian Golan Heights were detected as well.
Syrian fighter jets that fly in low altitudes and in a visible range from Israeli communities are being monitored by the Israeli Air Force's (IAF) northern aerial control unit from the minute they take off from the military bases, among them the T-4 airfield located 250 km from the Golan Heights.
The Syrian fighter jets are considered as relatively easy tracking and downing targets since their size makes them visible, as opposed to missiles, rockets or drones which are used by Assad's regime to reclaim the last rebel-held strongholds.
However, some of the aircraft pertain to the Russian army. In order to prevent a grave incident in which Israel downs a Russian aircraft, the immediate IDF-Russian army coordination mechanism is working with greater vigor these days.
The IDF estimates that spillover from Syria's internal fighting will continue during the next few days.
In addition, IDF's two-year-old "Good Neighbor" project, which included providing Syrians refugees with medical and logistic aid, is expected to end during the upcoming weeks with Assad's gaining full control over the area bordering with Israel.
Several IDF officials desire to continue the project, and some more low-scale alternatives are being reviewed.
Israel's response to spillover from Syria's internal fighting
Israeli jets struck a rocket launcher and shelled the area on Wednesday evening from which two rockets were launched by ISIS and landed in the Kinneret earlier as part of the internal fighting raging in Syria.
Two BM-21 rockets were found by Israeli security authorities in the northern freshwater lake after a three-hour search prompted by reports by eyewitness who claimed to see two suspicious objects crash into the water accompanied by explosions.
The IDF issued a statement after the military response saying, “The IDF will act against any attempt to violate the State of Israel’s sovereignty and harm the security of its citizens.”
The IDF shot down a Syrian fighter jet that entered Israeli airspace from the Golan Heights border on Tuesday afternoon. Damascus confirmed one of its jets was shot down, but insisted it was taking part in operations against rebels over Syrian territory.
The Israeli military said it monitored the advance of the Syrian Sukhoi fighter jet and shot it down with a pair of Patriot missiles after it penetrated Israeli airspace by about two kilometers (1.2 miles).
The plane apparently crashed inside Syria, with Sky News Arabic reporting it went down in the Yarmouk area.
A Syrian military official told the state news agency SANA that "The Israeli enemy confirms its support for the armed terrorist groups and targets one of our warplanes, which was striking their groups in the area of Saida on the edge of the Yarmouk Valley in Syrian airspace."
The same source told Russian news agency Sputnik that one of the pilots of the jet, Omran Muri, was killed when the aircraft was shot down, while the fate of the other remains unknown. The source insisted the plane did not infiltrate Israel and was downed over Syrian territory.
